Driving safely

What does the law say?

In all of Australia's states and territories it's illegal to use a hand-held phone while driving, even when you’re waiting at traffic lights. If caught, you could face on-the-spot fines and the loss of demerit points.

Find out what the rules are in your home state or territory:

NSW RTA

Queensland TMR

Victoria Police

South Australia Transport

Western Australia Office of Road Safety

Transport Tasmania

Transport NT

What you can do

Find a safe place to pull over and switch off your engine whenever you need to make or take a call. Better still - let the call go to voicemail. If you have to make or take calls while driving, it must be hands-free.

Even then, keep calls short and let the other person know you’re driving and might need to end the conversation.

Remember:

  • Even hands-free conversations cause distraction
  • The longer the call, the greater the distraction – keep calls short
  • Emotional or complex calls increase the risk of an accident
  • You can keep in touch by letting your voicemail take messages when you're driving
  • Never SMS, check or update your social network pages while driving